The steep hill of Qurnet Murai overlooks more than four and a half thousand years of history. To the east, the city of Luxor, ancient Thebes, capital of the pharaohs, extends over the Nile, which meanders north. On each side of the river stretch fields dotted with date palms, watered since ancient Egypt, forming a thin green strip in the immensity of the desert.
Towards the west, a play of shadows and lights emerges on the limestone rock. Full of dark cavities, it is home to the most famous necropolis in Egypt: the Valley of the Kings and Queens. Every sovereign, vizier, high priest or dignitary of the New Kingdom (1539-1075 BC) had his underground mausoleum there.
This stretch of desert has occupied generations of archaeologists and tomb raiders and contains priceless sarcophagi and treasures. Here, in the heart of the royal burials, hundreds of excavation sites have taken place.
If the life of the pharaohs continues to fascinate the world, and the discoveries of tombs to crown the most prestigious Egyptologists, other less spectacular archaeological investigations also advance the knowledge of these bygone times.
“The belief in life after death shaped Egypt. It is an entire civilization focused on the Beyond, capable of building the most spectacular tombs. “Most excavations are about death, and it is rarer to find remains that tell the story of life.”explains Dr. Zahi Hawass, Egyptologist and former Minister of Antiquities, whose mission is to bring to light daily life under the pharaohs.
Since 2020 he has been directing excavations at the foot of the Qurnet Murai hill, between the temple built by Amenhotep III and his palace. Less than six feet beneath the rocky surface of the desert, he and his team are busy unearthing another well-kept secret, which they call the “City of Gold.”
In 1930, a French expedition began an investigation a few hundred meters away, excavating the tomb of a vizier of the pharaoh. Dr. Hawass expanded the perimeter and from the first excavations, the place revealed all its importance. “We thought we would find graves, but first we found mud bricks. For us, a dry mud wall is more valuable than a gold jewel, because we get much more information from it.”explains Ahmed Al-Naser, director of the site.
If the group of archaeologists called their discovery “City of Gold”, it is in a form of slight to their discipline, because behind this prestigious name, said city does not contain mummies of pharaohs or their attire. It was inhabited by hundreds of artisans and workers from the kingdom of Thebes and contains numerous jars, ovens, molds for amulets, pieces of leather sandals and tools of all shapes and uses.
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